Download Layout Appropriateness - Software Engineering - Exam Paper and more Exams Software Engineering in PDF only on Docsity!
Cork Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software Development – Award
(NFQ Level 8)
Summer 2006
Software Engineering II
(Time: 3 Hours)
Instructions Answer FIVE questions. All questions carry equal marks
Examiners: Mr. J. O’Brien Dr. M. O’Cinneide Dr. M. Donnelly
Q1. (a) Software quality assurance, SQA, has been described as an “umbrella” activity that is applied throughout the software process. Do you agree/disagree with this description? State your reasons. [ Marks] (b) The cost of quality includes all costs incurred in the pursuit of quality and/or performing quality-related activities. Discuss. [ Marks]
(c) i. What is “Six Sigma”? ii. What are the core steps of the Six Sigma strategy? iii. How is Six Sigma applied in a software development environment? [8 Marks]
Q2. (a) Measurement is fundamental to any engineering discipline, software included. Discuss. [5 Marks] (b) Hewlett-Packard developed a set of software quality factors known as FURPS. i. What does the acronym FURPS stand for? ii. Write a brief description of each of the factors identified by the acronym FURPS. [7 Marks]
(c) Explain how the metric known as layout appropriateness , as suggested by Sears 1993, can be used to gain an insight into the quality and usability of a software product’s interface. [8 Marks]
Q3. (a) Software engineering methods can be categorised on a “formality” spectrum. Discuss, briefly. [4 Marks]
(b) Write a brief note on each of the following “commandments” of formal methods as compiled by Bowen and Hinchley, 1995: i. Thou shalt formalise but not over-formalise. ii. Thou shalt not abandon thy traditional development methods. [ Marks]
(c) The air-traffic control of an airport keeps a record of the planes waiting to land and the assignment of planes to gates on the ground. There are operations to accept a plane when it arrives in the airport’s waiting space, to assign a plane to a gate at the airport and to record that a plane leaves its gate. Consider the following types:
[PLANE] the set of all possible, uniquely identified planes [GATE] the set of all gates at this airport.
The state of the airport , at any time, can be expressed by the following Z schema:
______Airport________________________________ | | waiting : : PLANE | assignment : GATE PLANE |____________________________________________ | | waiting ∩ ran assignment = {} |____________________________________________
Q4. (a) By the end of the 1970s the software crisis had been rampant for a number of years. software reuse was one path being explored with a view to achieving significant increases in software productivity. At the start of the 21st^. century, software reuse is still being explored with a view to achieving software productivity increases. Contrast the “traditional”,1970s, approach to software reuse with the modern, 21st^. century, approach. [6 Marks] (b) Once a set of candidate components has been found, the software developer needs to evaluate the components for suitability in the current reuse project. Identify and describe, briefly, the main types of information that would be useful for such an evaluation [6 marks] (c) Contrast the following software development process models incorporating reuse: i. Software development with reuse. ii. Software development for reuse. [8 Marks]
Q5. (a) In fields other than software, practice standards can be traced to a body of fundamental scientific and engineering principles that constrain the standards. The codification of software engineering standards is faced with particular challenges in this area. Discuss, briefly. [4 Marks] (b) What, if any, is the importance to a software development organisation of adopting software engineering standards when attempting to: i. Improve the product. ii. Protect the business. [4 Marks] (c) i. What is/are the purpose(s) of IEEE/EIA Std. 12207, as determined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, IEEE, and Electronics Industry Association, EIA? ii. The concepts underlying IEEE/EIA Std. 12207 may be classified into general concepts and task-related concepts. Explain, briefly, these concepts. [12 Marks]
Q6. (a) Regardless of its domain focus, system engineering encompasses a collection of top-down and bottom-up methods. Discuss. [6 Marks] (b) The goal of business process engineering, BPE, is to define architectures that will enable a business to use information effectively. Write a detailed note on each of the following architectures that needs to be analysed and designed: i. Data architecture. ii. Application architecture. iii. Technology architecture. [6 Marks]
(c) Describe, in detail, the system engineering process known as product engineering. [8 Marks]
End of Exam!
